PLUTO AND CHARON by Alan Stern, Jacqueline Mitton ( 9783527405565 )

Item Details

Title:

PLUTO AND CHARON
ICE WORLDS ON THE RAGGED EDGE OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM

By:

Format:

Hardback

List price:	£37.50
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ISBN 10:

3527405569

ISBN 13:

9783527405565

Publisher:

WILEY-VCH VERLAG GMBH

Pub. date:

7 October, 2005

Edition:

2nd Revised edition

Pages:

257

Description:

Despite our growing understanding of Pluto and its moon Charon, there have not been any books written on them since 1981, when Clyde Tombaugh's book was published in honor of the 50th anniversary of Pluto's discovery. Now, Pluto and Charon tell the story of the most distant planet of the solar system and its moon.

Synopsis:

The exploration of the ninth planet, Pluto, its moon, Charon, and their relationship to the newly discovered Kuiper Belt, is a tale of perseverance, ingenuity and dedication on the part of the planetary scientists who have been lured by the fascination of these far flung miniature worlds. In "Pluto and Charon", Alan Stern and Jacqueline Mitton turn that story into an entertaining adventure, starting with the discovery of Pluto by Clyde Tombaugh in 1930. In a highly accessible narrative, they bring to life the many Plutophiles, who with skill and resourcefulness have pieced together over several decades an amazingly detailed picture of the nature of Pluto and Charon. The book also documents vividly the struggle by Plutophiles and the public to persuade NASA to fund a mission to Pluto, the only planet not yet explored from close proximity by a spacecraft. Hopes were alternately raised and dashed before eventual victory. At last, New Horizons (led by author Stern as Principal Investigator) is due to be launched in early 2006 on a 9 year journey to Pluto, Charon and beyond.For this second edition, Stern and Mitton have brought their 1998 book fully up to date, including the latest discoveries about Pluto's ancient relationship with the members of the Kuiper Belt of icy bodies and dwarf planets beyond Neptune. They have also added a completely new chapter on the New Horizons mission.

Illustrations:

Illustrations, ports.

Publication:

Germany

Imprint:

Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH

Returns:

Returnable

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ASTEROID RENDEZVOUS (HB)

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CAMBRIDGE DICTIONARY OF ASTRONOMY (PB)